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LingcodRetention openChannel · California
Airport Channel
37.74°N · 122.22°W · Channel · San Francisco Bay South of the Bay Bridge
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 PM · Lingcod
- Now
- 5912 PM PDT
- Best window
- 6-9 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing5.3 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Airport Channel scores 75+
Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.
14-day forecast
Best days to fish
24-hour conditions · rolling from now
Conditions · 12 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
66Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.7 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 6 kt SSWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
63Water temp: 66°F, hotLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.6 ftSeason & habitat · Lingcod
Species seasonality
68Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
San Francisco Groundfish Management Area
Lingcod
Retention open- Daily limit
- 2 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 22 in, total length
- Season
- Apr 1 to Dec 31, 2026
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- Shore-based anglers and spear divers are exempt from groundfish seasons and depth limits. All groundfish fishing is prohibited at Cordell Bank. A descending device must be aboard when fishing from a boat.
From CDFW Summary of Recreational Groundfish Fishing Regulations (updated June 23, 2026), read Sep 13
Other species here
- Albacore tuna Retention open (25 per day)
- Barred sand bass Retention open (4 per day (5 kelp bass, barred sand bass and spotted sand bass combined))
- Cabezon Retention open (10 per day (10 rockfish, cabezon and greenlings combined))
- California halibut Retention open (2 per day)
- Chinook salmon Retention open (2 per day (2 salmon combined))
- Coho salmon Closed (No retention)
- Kelp bass Retention open (5 per day (5 kelp bass, barred sand bass and spotted sand bass combined))
- Kelp greenling Retention open (10 per day (10 rockfish, cabezon and greenlings combined))
- Leopard shark Retention open (3 per day)
- Mahi-mahi Retention open (10 per day)
- Pacific bluefin tuna Retention open (2 per day)
- Pacific halibut Retention open (1 per day)
- Rockfish Retention open (10 per day (10 rockfish, cabezon and greenlings combined))
- Sablefish Retention open (10 per day)
- Striped bass Retention open (2 per day)
- Surfperch Retention open (20 per day)
- White seabass Retention open (3 per day)
- Yellowfin tuna Retention open (10 per day)
- Yellowtail Retention open (10 per day)
Source: CDFW · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Lingcod is best here
Shoulder season for Lingcod · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Airport Channel
- Depth
- 2-4 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonLingcod
NOAA NCEI DEM, sampled Sep 14 on a 3.4 m grid. Depths are feet below NAVD 88, not chart datum (MLLW), so they can differ from a chart by a few feet. Not for navigation.
About this spot
Fishing Airport Channel
Airport Channel is a channel in San Francisco Bay South of the Bay Bridge, California. Depth is 2-4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 11 species here; the best right now are striped bass, California halibut and leopard shark. It is peak season now for striped bass, surfperch, cabezon and rockfish, and shoulder season for California halibut, leopard shark, Chinook salmon and lingcod. Striped bass peak from June through July and from September through October. California halibut peak from May through August. Leopard shark peak from May through August.
Tackle & technique
- Lingcod
- Lingcod ambush prey from rock outcrops, reef edges and kelp where current runs, most often in 30 to 300 feet, and males move shallow to guard nests in winter. Drift over the reef bouncing a lead-head swimbait or metal jig on the bottom, or fish herring or squid on a heavy leader, since their teeth cut light line. From jetties and rocky shore, work bait or jigs along the rocks on the incoming tide.
- Striped bass
- Striped bass feed where moving tide pushes bait past structure: inlets, points, jetties, bridge pilings and rips in the surf, usually in 2 to 40 feet of water. Fish dawn, dusk and night hardest, casting plugs, bucktails and soft plastics or drifting live bunker and eels, and chunk bait on the bottom in current. In midsummer the larger fish drop deeper or feed mostly after dark.
- California halibut
- California halibut are ambush feeders that lie on sand or mud bottom, mostly in water shallower than 100 feet and often inside bays, harbors and estuaries. Drift or slow-troll a live anchovy or sardine on a sliding sinker rig, or bounce a swimbait along the bottom over flats, channel edges and sandy areas near structure. Keep the bait within a foot or two of the bottom and give a fish time to turn the bait before setting the hook.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- San Leandro Bay73
Bay · 0.7 mi
Top: SurfperchPeak season- Surfperch 73
- Striped bass 70
- California halibut 69
6 kt SSWL 4:21 PM · 2.6 ftH 9:55 PM · 6.3 ft
- Alameda Harbor69
Channel · 3.2 mi
Top: Striped bassPeak season- Striped bass 69
- Surfperch 67
- Cabezon 66
6 kt SSWL 4:02 PM · 2.8 ftH 9:48 PM · 5.8 ft
- Mulford Point69
Cape · 3.5 mi
Top: Striped bassPeak season- Striped bass 69
- Cabezon 68
- Rockfish 64
6 kt SSWL 4:26 PM · 2.7 ftH 10:10 PM · 6.8 ft
- Brooklyn Basin68
Channel · 3.4 mi
Top: Striped bassPeak season- Striped bass 68
- California halibut 65
- Surfperch 61
6 kt SSWL 4:02 PM · 2.8 ftH 9:48 PM · 5.8 ft
Scores and forecasts are for planning only and can be wrong. Conditions on the water change fast; check the marine forecast before you go. Regulations change during the season, so confirm limits and closures with CDFW before you keep a fish.